Boeing has invested tremendously in India because the future here is extremely bright, says Boeing Defence, Space and Security CEO Leanne Caret. Photo: Reuters
Hyderabad: Aircraft maker Boeing Co. has quadrupled its sourcing from India to over $1 billion during the past two years, a senior executive said on Thursday.
“We have invested tremendously in India because the future here is extremely bright. We’ve quadrupled our sourcing from India in the past two years to more than $1 billion,” said Leanne Caret, president and chief executive officer, Boeing Defence, Space and Security.
She also said that the company is investing in talent, training and skills development to get frontline factory workers and technicians ready for advanced aerospace manufacturing and ready to deliver world class quality around the globe.
Caret was speaking at the launch of the chopper fuselage manufacturing facility of Tata Boeing Aerospace, a joint venture formed between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems, at Adibatla aerospace special economic zone on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The JV has been established to co-produce Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter fuselages and other aerostructures, as well as to pursue integrated systems in aerospace. The Hyderabad facility will eventually be the sole producer of AH-64 fuselages globally.
According to Caret, the aircraft maker sees tremendous value in the facility as it will help them meet commitments to its customers with greater speed and agility. “I can’t wait to see not only the Apache fuselages and secondary structures but also vertical spar boxes rolling down the production line,” she said.
The Apache has been flown or selected for acquisition by the United States and 15 other nations, including India, Boeing had said earlier. The facility, spread over 14,000-square meters, will be employing 350 highly skilled workers. The delivery of the first fuselage from the facility is expected this year itself.
